COMMUNICATIONS — Director Eva Davis shared a letter written by a teen patron, requesting that the library increase its operating hours on Sunday evenings until 8:00 or 9:00 PM. While not an option at this time, Board members agreed that the issue deserved consideration for the future and asked Davis to add it to the March agenda to begin discussions.

DIRECTORS REPORT — Plante Moran auditors will be at the library February 19-23 for the annual audit; they will present their findings to the board at the April meeting.

The financials show that the library is over-spent in the Capital Outlay category due to the construction project. Funds for the project will be pulled into the budget in April with the 1st Quarter Budget Amendment, and will fall within the expenditure number that had been approved by the board in September.

TRUSTEE COMMENTS — Secretary/Treasurer Jasmine Lee queried whether the Plante Moran auditors would be presenting a quick summary of the library’s current ratios and liquid assets as part of their report. Vice Chair Don Turner explained that the scope of auditors’ mission focused on how finances had been managed by library staff, and on such peripherals as the ratio of the fund balance to the operating budget.

Board Committees — Chair Michelle Farell thanked the Retirement Benefits Committee and the Director’s Evaluation Committee for their work in 2017, and as their assigned tasks are complete, dissolved them. Chair Farell will appoint a 2018 Director’s Evaluation Committee in late summer.

Proposal to Convert Supervisor Positions to Full-Time Status — Davis stated that the written proposal outlined the rationale for converting the three positions to full-time status.

N. Eggenberger moved and D. Turner supported a motion to approve the proposal to convert three
supervisor positions to full-time status.

The Chairperson, Michelle Farell, called the meeting to order at 7:30 PM.

Present: Michelle Farell, Jasmine Lee, Jane Pandit, Don Turner

Absent: Nancy Eggenberger, Amy Watts

Also Present: E. Davis, K. Gladden

CALL TO AUDIENCE (L. Golden, D. McHugh, M. Nicholson, R. Noble)

APPROVAL OF AGENDA

The agenda was approved as amended by unanimous consent.

APPROVAL OF GENERAL MEETING MINUTES

The minutes were approved as amended by unanimous consent.

COMMUNICATIONS — Eva Davis reported that she had received a “thank you” note from the principal at Canton High School for the donated wooden chairs, which had been in storage since the library replaced them during renovation.

DIRECTORS REPORT — Librarian Joyce Simowski has announced that she will retire at the end of the year. Liz Rasberry has accepted a librarian position at the Livonia Public Library; her last day at CPL will be December 28, 2017. The administration and staff are very happy for both of them, but they will be missed.

The library is 92% through the year, and any inconsistencies in the financials will be corrected in the 4th Quarter Budget Amendment. This will adjust the actual expenditures as closely as possible to the anticipated expenditures. The goal is to apply contingency fund dollars to construction costs from this past winter. This will be balanced out by a Transfer of Fund Balance request, which will also be presented later in the meeting.

TRUSTEE COMMENTS — None

COMMITTEE REPORTS — None

OLD BUSINESS

Nominate and Elect 2018 Officers — Vice-Chair Don Turner expressed his willingness to relinquish his position to allow one of the newer board members the opportunity to serve as Vice-Chair. Trustees Jasmine Lee and Jane Pandit are content to remain in their current positions for one more year and all trustees reiterated their desire to re-elect the current board slate for a second term.

J. Pandit moved and D. Turner supported a motion to nominate the present slate of officers to serve a
second term in 2018.

The motion passed unanimously 17/12-14-1

J. Pandit moved and J. Lee supported a motion to re-elect the current slate of officers to serve a second term
in 2018.

The motion passed unanimously 17/12-14-2

NEW BUSINESS

Approve Proposed 4th Quarter Budget Amendment — The board briefly discussed the reserve contingency and the rebuilding of the fund balance in coming years.

J. Lee moved and J. Pandit supported a motion to approve the 4th Quarter Budget Amendment as presented.

At the December meeting, the board will be asked to approve a 4th Quarter Budget Amendment to adjust the actual expenditures as closely as possible to the anticipated expenditures. The goal is to apply contingency fund dollars to construction costs from this past winter. This will be balanced out by a Transfer of Fund Balance request, which will also be presented at the December meeting.

TRUSTEE COMMENTS — Secretary/Treasurer Jasmine Lee offered praise for the End of Connect Your Summer party in August.

COMMITTEE REPORTS — None

OLD BUSINESS — None

NEW BUSINESS

Connect Your Summer 2017 Review — Community Relations Department Head Laurie Golden briefly presented an overview of the 2017 Connect Your Summer program, explaining how staff had changed much of the program to reflect patron priorities as gleaned from feedback from the previous year’s program.

Approve Proposed Date Change for December Library Board of Trustees Meeting to December 14, 2017 — Although Trustees Amy Watts and Nancy Eggenberger will be unable to attend a December 14th meeting, the rest of the board members agreed that the altered date would work better than that originally scheduled.

N. Eggenberger moved and A. Watts supported a motion to approve the proposed date change for the December Library Board of Trustees meeting to December 14.

The motion passed unanimously 17/11-16-1

Appeals of Patron Suspensions after 2nd Violation — Davis explained that, even though she has not received the requisite written notice from the patrons involved, it is possible that the board will receive requests to reconsider suspensions of two teens who had been read trespass earlier this year and were recently caught violating their suspensions.

The policy is mute on how such a situation should be addressed and Davis asked for direction in pursuing an update of the policy. Trustee N. Eggenberger expressed a strong desire that consequences attach to repeated violations of policy; Davis said that the library can ask Canton Public Safety for an additional trespass of one year after the initial trespass order expires. There was consensus that the board would be interested in updating the policy. Davis will look into best practices of other libraries in this type of situation, receive legal guidance, and bring back a policy update in the new year.

2018 Officers — Chair Michelle Farell and Secretary/Treasurer Jasmine Lee indicated their willingness to remain as officers in their present roles for 2018; Don Turner has not indicated his position regarding staying on as Vice-Chair. The board will vote at the December meeting.